"Empress Dowager, please!" Lu Tianxiong slowly drew out his longsword, his expression carrying a hint of arrogance, and even more of contempt.

As his words fell, the longsword swung out.

In the sky, a flash of lightning streaked past, thunder roared, and wild winds rose—a storm seemed imminent.

The same Sword Light surged like waves, the Qi roared like a tide, but Wu Tianxiong’s strength was obviously more than one realm higher than Wu Zifeng’s. As the longsword slashed out, the air in front of him twisted into a hollow void, as if tearing open space. Amidst the piercing cries, that powerful Qi formed a hurricane, sweeping towards Lu Nianxin.

Lu Nianxin frowned slightly, shouting loudly as she slashed forward with her long knife.

"Clang!" A loud noise like thunder, a burst of Qi Light exploded, the already turbulent winds in the Imperial Garden rose into a sandstorm, amidst muffled groans, Wu Tianxiong and Lu Nianxin each took a few steps back.

In their first clash, the two were evenly matched, neither gaining the upper hand, yet on Wu Tianxiong’s face, there was no trace of frustration. Instead, his fighting spirit grew more intense.

Everyone knew the reason behind this. Wu Tianxiong’s strength was originally far from being Lu Nianxin’s match. In the past, Lu Nianxin could have stood her ground, causing him to retreat repeatedly, possibly even wounding him severely with a single strike. But now, the two had fought to a standstill.

If their suspicions about Lu Nianxin were uncertain before, this single clash undoubtedly proved their doubts.

The ministers loyal to the Yue Royal Family were all silent and expressionless.

"The Empress Dowager is indeed formidable. Try another strike from this king." Lu Tianxiong laughed heartily, launching another swift attack with his sword.

"Clang, clang, clang..." In a moment, the two had exchanged dozens of blows.

Initially, they could still fight evenly, but as time went on, Lu Nianxin gradually faltered, forced to retreat under Lu Tianxiong’s increasingly fierce attacks. Her steps became chaotic.

Finally, as another Qi Light exploded, Lu Nianxin groaned, and was struck high into the air by Lu Tianxiong’s slash, along with her knife.

"Bang!" After landing, Lu Nianxin continued to retreat, finally stopping only by heavily planting her longsword into the ground. Her face was pale, her chest heaved violently, and she was drenched in sweat from head to toe.

Defeated, the Empress Dowager was defeated. Having single-handedly turned the tide and protected the Yue Royal Family for decades, she had been defeated.

Seeing this, bitterness seeped into the hearts of the surrounding ministers, their eyes filled with desolation.

"Hahaha, so the Empress Dowager’s strength is only this much. The Zue Family, in the end, still can’t match the Wu Family." Wu Tianxiong laughed loudly. 𝘧𝑟𝑒𝑒𝘸𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝓁.𝘤𝘰𝓂

"What do you mean by that?" Lu Nianxin’s expression changed, she shouted angrily.

"With the Empress Dowager’s wisdom, surely you can’t fail to understand what I mean?" Wu Tianxiong stopped laughing, speaking coldly, "The Yue Family’s ancestor was only slightly stronger than my Wu Family’s ancestor and seized the throne. Now that the Yue Family is weak, it’s no longer qualified to occupy the throne. Why not take advantage of today while the ministers are in the palace to abdicate the throne to my Wu Family? It would be a fine tale."

"In your dreams! You think that defeating me means you can take the throne?" Lu Nianxin sneered.

"Defeating you doesn’t let me take the throne, but it will allow me to sit more rightfully and securely." Wu Tianxiong waved his hand forcefully as he spoke.

The mournful sound of a horn suddenly rang out, and the drumbeat of battle shook the heavens and earth.

Inside the city, countless iron hooves trampled the ground, producing thunderous rumbles, so intense that even deep within the palace, the galloping Red Charcoal Cloud Smoke Beasts could be felt causing vibrations.

"The City Guard!" Lu Nianxin exclaimed in alarm, then glared coldly at a veteran general clad in armor among the ministers, gritting her teeth, "Lin Weicheng, the former Emperor treated you well, and the Emperor has treated you as an elder. Yet, you’ve colluded with Wu Tianxiong in treachery and rebellion!"

It’s no wonder she was so furious. As the capital city of a country, it naturally doesn’t station many troops; within the city, there are only the City Guard and the Imperial City Guards. Lin Weicheng, as the Commander of the City Guard, was previously trusted deeply by the former Emperor, and was treated with great respect by the new Emperor, yet no one expected him to conspire with Wu Tianxiong for this coup.

"Empress Dowager, calm down. Our Shangyue was founded on martial power, and in former days, our mighty armored soldiers shook the continent. But now, the Yue Family has grown weak, and we’ve had to restore diplomacy even with a defeated subordinate like Anyun, which truly disgraces our Shangyue’s prestige. I believe Shangyue needs a new master." Lin Weicheng looked ashamed, but soon argued forcefully.

"A wise bird chooses a tree to nest in, a virtuous minister selects a master to serve. Your Zue Family can’t compete generation after generation. You can’t blame General Lin for choosing the shining path." Wu Tianxiong looked at Lin Weicheng with satisfaction and chuckled.

"Wu Tianxiong, do you think with just the City Guard’s help, you can grab the throne? Don’t forget, besides the City Guard, there are twenty thousand Imperial City Guards in the city." Lu Nianxin took a deep breath and remarked coldly.

Although the Imperial City Guards only numbered twenty thousand, compared to the City Guard’s fifty thousand troops, in an actual battle, those fifty thousand City Guard troops couldn’t match the combat power of those twenty thousand well-equipped Imperial City Guards.

"The Empress Dowager is correct, there are twenty thousand Imperial City Guards, but unfortunately, of the ones you can command, there are at most only ten thousand. Against another ten thousand Imperial City Guards plus fifty thousand City Guard troops, what chance do you have?" Wu Tianxiong replied leisurely and confidently.

A heart-wrenching scream shattered the silence in the palace, followed by the sound of rushing footsteps toward the Imperial Garden.

Soon after, came a cacophony of angry shouts and the clashing of swords.

Even from a distance, a thick stench of blood drifted across.

The City Guard could not have attacked the Imperial Palace so quickly, so those taking action could only be the Imperial City Guards.

"Mo Yunhai, have you also joined this traitor Wu Tianxiong?" Lu Nianxin suppressed her rage, glancing at a sturdy middle-aged general.

His name was Mo Yunhai, the right commander of the Imperial City Guards, commanding the left and right camps alongside Yue Fanchen.

"Forgive me, Empress Dowager. What needs to be said has already been mentioned by General Lin and Prince Wu, so I won’t repeat. However, the Zue Family’s capabilities clearly don’t fit holding this throne any longer. In my opinion, as Prince Wu suggested, kindly abdicate the throne to the Wu Family to avoid inflicting war and suffering upon the people. It’s a gracious act." The middle-aged general smiled as he advised.

"General Mo speaks rightly. In ancient times, the Saint Emperor, moved by the suffering of the people, selflessly abdicated the throne to a wise ruler and was thus celebrated throughout the ages. If today the Yue lineage emulated the ancients, they too shall be immortalized, revered through the ages."

Other civil and military officials, who had long shown their disloyalty, also began persuading.

These hypocrites, God knows how many profits they’ve taken from Wu Tianxiong, what promises they’ve received, to utter such shameless words. Han Yan cursed inwardly, but outwardly remained unfazed.

Isn’t this the scene grandmother wished to see? Surely next, she’ll deliver everyone a great surprise.